Definition
Siderophores are low molecular weight iron-specific organic ligands that are exuded by iron-limited organisms as part of a high-affinity iron acquisition strategy.
Introduction
Iron is a nutrient to almost all known organisms. Even though iron is the fourth most abundant element on earth, the acquisition of this nutrient poses a serious challenge to organisms in many natural environments. A particularly iron-depleted system is the photic zone of the marine water column (Kraemer et al., 2005). Here, soluble iron is removed by biological uptake and subsequent sinking of the biomass below the mixed zone. In ocean areas with particularly low iron concentrations relative to other nutrients in the photic zone, the primary productivity is limited by the low bioavailability of iron. This marine iron limitation may affect the global climate by limiting the efficiency of the marine carbon pump. However, even in soils that contain abundant iron-bearing mineral phases, iron acquisition...
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Kraemer, S.M. (2011). Siderophores. In: Reitner, J., Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_186
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_186
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